After its first losses of the season, the Oregon women’s volleyball team will look to rebound this weekend when Arizona State and Arizona come to Eugene for a weekend series.
And though by no means pushovers, the Arizona State and Arizona should be easier tests than No. 7 Cal and No. 1 Stanford — the two teams that shut out Oregon last weekend.
Neither the Sun Devils nor the Wildcats is ranked in the Top 25, and both dropped several non-conference matches against seemingly weaker competition.
But that’s not to say the Ducks are taking the Arizona schools lightly. After all, no team can afford to have an off night in the nation’s toughest conference.
“There’s really nobody weak in the Pac-10, so we need to come ready both nights,” sophomore outside hitter Jocelyn Levig said.
But first, Oregon had to put the losses to Cal and Stanford in its rearview mirror.
“We’re just kind of coming into this week as a fresh start,” Levig said.
At 5-10 on the year (0-3 in Pac-10 Conference play), Arizona State might be hoping for its own fresh start. That’s part of what has Oregon coach Jim Moore concerned about playing the Sun Devils. Arizona State is desperately trying to get back on the winning track and salvage possible post-season hopes.
“ASU feels like they have to get a win; they have to come in and get after it,” Moore said.
The Sun Devils, which were swept by Oregon in two meetings last year, have several players capable of posting impressive numbers. Senior Sarah Reaves averages 3.97 kills per set to pace the Sun Devils’ offense; sophomore Ashley Kastl averages 3.19 kills per set; junior Cat Highmark averages 10.79 assists per set.
As a team, Arizona State hits at a .216 clip, while allowing its opponents to hit .222. The Sun Devils are susceptible to having defensive breakdowns, though. They allowed Arizona to hit .379, Utah State .387 and Michigan .364.
A strong serving match could be a precursor to the Ducks enjoying a similar rate of offensive success.
“(We need to) go at them with our serving and our passing and then just put the ball on the floor,” sophomore libero Kellie Kawasaki said.
On paper, Saturday’s match against Arizona, which swept Oregon in two meetings last year, could be more problematic for the Ducks. At 12-4, the Wildcats haven’t lived up to high pre-season expectations, but remain a talented bunch.
Moreover, after dropping two non-conference contests to weaker competition, the Wildcats will likely be playing with a sense of urgency to cement their status as an NCAA tournament team.
“It’s a match that they absolutely have to win,” Moore said. “They probably feel pressure getting into the NCAA tournament to win this one.”
If the Wildcats do leave Eugene with a win, it will be because of their strong offense. Arizona has a number of precise attackers, including outside hitter Tiffany Owens (.314 hitting percentage), outside hitter Whitney Dosty (3.7 kills per set) and middle blocker Cursty Jackson (.404 hitting percentage).
Oregon will need to play better defense than it did last weekend against Cal and Stanford to contain the Wildcats’ attack.
“Owens, Dosty and (Jackson), their middle, all can put the ball on the floor if we don’t get something in front of them,” Moore said.
That’s why blocking and defense have been a focus of practice this week.
“We’ve been working on it really hard in practice, and we‘ve been dedicating certain drills to just focusing on blocking, as well as defense behind the block,” Kawasaki said.
Oregon in the National Rankings
Despite dropping two spots to No. 13 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, Oregon has several players ranked in the top 10 in major statistical categories.
Heather Meyers is second in service aces per set (.69), only .07 behind leader Emily Danks of Ohio State, while Lauren Plum is 10th in assists with 12.23 per set.
As a team, the Ducks rank fourth nationally in service aces per set (2.00) and are 10th in hitting percentage (.289).
Oregon will play Arizona State Oct. 8 and Arizona Oct. 9.
adrukarev@dailyemerald.com